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St. Nicholas and the Pawn Shop Balls of Gold by Christa Buswell Once upon a time, way back in the late third and early fourth centuries, in an area now known as Turkey there lived a good and saintly man called Nicolaos. One of the stories which came down to us about this man is this: There was a desperately poor man who had three daughters. So poor was he that he saw no way out but to sell his eldest daughter into prostitution. Learning of this, Nicolaos sneaked in late at night and dropped a bag of gold through the window, as a dowry for the girl. He did the same again for the second daughter, but when he returned for the third time, the father caught him in the act. Embarrassed, Nicolaos fled and joined a religious order. Ever since, these three bags of gold live on as the three balls of gold outside of pawn shops, symbols of something of value redeemed. This story comes from a book by Jack Elliot, Inventing Christmas: How Our Holiday Came to Be (Henry N. Abrams, 2004), as do most of the Christmas trivia following. Well, this Nicolaos is known to us as St. Nicholas. How did he become transformed into that jolly old elf we call Santa Claus? Largely because of one Clement Clark Moore, whose poem A Visit from St. Nicholas invented Santa as we know him. When I was a child, St. Nicholas, in full Episcopal regalia, appeared on December 6, his feast day, bearing apples and sweets. The legends and lore of Christmas are many. The tree? Supposedly first put up by Martin Luther, if quickly spread to green the continent, was brought to England by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's German-born consort, then to America by the Pennsylvania "Dutch" and George III's Hessian mercenaries. The presents? Believe it or not, they started out with the "gift book" fad that swept England and the US in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. In the 21st century, this tradition is carried on at Books-by-the-Sea, along with many other value-added gifts. (In Bavaria, gifts are brought by the "Christkindl" - the little Christ child - and are called a Christkindl instead of a Christmas present. Kind of nice, isn't it?) The Christmas card? First thought of and marketed by an English entrepreneur in 1843. The carols? They alone have been around forever, thanks be to God, they are so lovely and loving. Which leads us to ponder the dual nature of Christmas, religious and secular, sacred and profane. From its roots as pagan midwinter festivals to its reluctant "if you can't beat them, join them" recognition by the early Christian church, this tension has existed and persisted. It is not easy to find the right balance, but it is helpful to remember that beneath all the trappings lay the glad tidings that unto us a child is born. Tidings of comfort and joy. Of hope. Merry Christmas, and God bless us, every one. And happy first anniversary, Books by-the-Sea; where it's Christmas all year round!
Copyright © 2004 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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